Directing a Marvel movie just doesn't appear to be in the cards for filmmaker Matthew Vaughn. The Stardust and Layer Cake helmer had been set to direct X-Men: The Last Stand a few years ago before dropping out and being replaced by Brett Ratner. Vaughn was then attached to bring Marvel's Norse god of thunder, Thor, to the big-screen, but that is reportedly no longer the case as well.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Matthew Vaughn no longer is attached to direct the project because his holding deal expired December."

Marvel Studios is currently waiting for I Am Legend screenwriter Mark Protosevich to turn in a script polish. "It's very much a Marvel superhero story but against the backdrop of nothing you've seen before," Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said of Thor.

[link=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117993032.html?categoryid=13&cs=1]Branagh in talks to direct 'Thor'[/link]

Kenneth Branagh is negotiating to direct "Thor," the next Marvel Comics property that will be turned into a live-action film by Marvel Studios. Pic will be released in 2010.
Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige's choice of Branagh is surprising, as Branagh hasn't really directed an action-heavy film since his debut on "Henry V," a bloody telling of the British king's conquest of France.

Branagh is the latest in a string of directors -- such as Jon Favreau ("Iron Man"), Christopher Nolan (the Batman franchise) and Gavin Hood ("X-Men Origins: Wolverine") -- with arthouse roots taking on big-budget comicbook fare.

Marvel will self-finance the film via its $500 million credit facility through Merrill Lynch. Marvel used that coin to fund both "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk" and will do the same for the "Iron Man" sequel that has director Favreau and star Robert Downey Jr. returning.

The "Thor" negotiations come during a resurgence for Branagh. He's currently drawing raves on the London stage in the title role of "Ivanov," and he'll next be seen acting in the Richard Curtis-directed "The Boat That Rocked" and the Bryan Singer-helmed "Valkyrie."

[link=http://movies.ign.com/articles/983/983819p1.html]And we have a winner...[/link]

[link=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1165110/]IMDB[/link]

Personally I feel pretty confident about this choice. We didn't see much of him in Trek but what we did see was pretty damn heroic. Plus the people responsible for the pick seem very confident in him. Obviously there will be some bulking up for the role involved, so that shouldn't be an issue. He's 26 so it looks like we're getting the younger-looking Thor.

[link=http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A9G_bF.EKhBKFJUATEaJzbkF?p=chris+hemsworth&fr=yfp-t-501&ei=utf-8&x=wrt&y=Search]Chris Hemsworth[/link]: Yeah, okay, I'm feelin' it. This is excellent news. (He's also going to be in the Whedon-scripted Cabin in the Woods and in the remake of Red Dawn.)

I had a feeling the Thor film would be pushed back a year. The link provided by Phoenix, above, says:

Thor begins filming in January for a June 17, 2011 release.

How this will affect the release date of the Avengers film is anyone's guess.

My fears have been confirmed, then. Any idea what the revised schedule looks like?

EDIT: According to [link=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_Marvel_Comics]this wiki page[/link], Iron Man II is slated for 2010, with Spidey 4, Thor and Cap in 2011, and Avengers coming in 2012.

2011/12 is going to be a stellar couple of years for the Marvel U... if it happens as planned, which color me skeptical, but I tend to doubt.

[link=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=55660]Tom Hiddleston is Thor's Loki[/link]
After breaking the news that Star Trek and "Home and Away" star Chris Hemsworth has been cast in the title role of Marvel Studios' Thor, Deadline Hollywood Daily has now also learned that director Kenneth Branagh has cast his nemesis, Loki.

The part has gone to Tom Hiddleston, an award-winning British actor and Royal Academy Of Dramatic Arts (RADA) graduate. He played Winston Churchill's son in HBO's "The Gathering Storm" and has starred in "Ivanov" opposite Branagh on the London stage and also starred with him in the BBC miniseries "Wallander."

Thor is targeted for a May 20, 2011 release.

All we have left really is Odin and Lady Sif. Also do we think Hemsworth will also play Donald Blake if they bring that aspect of Thor into the movie?

It sounds pretty cool, but I wonder if this movie will do Thor justice.

I like the director (Kenneth Branaugh) is more than qualified to take it on. What I think it will come down to is the actors playing the big roles of Thor, Loki, Odin, and if they include this aspect Donald Blake.

[link=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=60488]Anthony Hopkins to Play Odin in Thor![/link]

Anthony Hopkins has been cast as Norse god Odin in Marvel Studios' Thor, to be directed by Kenneth Branagh starting January.

Odin is the father of Thor and Loki, to be played by Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, respectively. Natalie Portman is playing Thor's love interest, Jane Foster.

In the movie, written by Mark Protosevich and Zack Stentz, the powerful but arrogant warrior Thor's reckless actions re-ignite an ancient war. As punishment, Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans. Once here, he learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends dark forces of Asgard to invade Earth.